Foods that help with supplement absorption

There is no nutrient that is 100% digested and assimilated, even if your body is predisposed for an easy digestion. The ingredient the body assimilates more efficiently is, unfortunately, the worst of all: refined sugar. When having a normal digestion, usually your body assimilates an average of 20% of the essential nutrients you’ve taken in. The ageing process is perhaps one of the factors that causes a lack of efficiency in nutrient absorption in your body. That’s why it is important to look for adequate supplementation throughout the years, combining the best foods with your supplements. Here are a few foods that will help you with that process.

The foods that best absorb carnitine-based supplements are the ones with high amounts of:

Carnitine spares the stores of muscular glycogen in long-lasting exercises and it is used to improve the tendency for dyslipidemia – illness caused by the presence of high or abnormal levels of lipids and lipoproteins in the blood stream.

Creatine (composed by the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine) can be produced in our body through the ingestion of foods or supplements.To obtain 5g of creatine in red meat/fish, you need to eat 1kg of that food.After absorption, creatine can be stored in the muscles in the form of creatine phosphate or free creatine. To obtain a more efficient absorption, you should take carbohydrates, like pasta and potatoes.

The protein with the highest biological value is the Whey Protein Isolate. This is a fast-absorption protein (10 minutes after being taken).For a more efficient absorption, prepare your shake with Whey Protein and a simple carbohydrate of high glycemic value, like honey or fruits, after working out. When combined with another supplement, the best one is dextrose. About 50g – 60g of dextrose is enough.

A serving spoon of fruit juice, that is, 10g, is enough to reduce the pain in your articulations. Hydrolyzed collagen avoids flaccidity, is efficient with healing processes and with recovery from injuries and it helps with weight loss.People over 30 years old should be careful, because at that age the body can’t replace what it loses, that’s why daily doses of collagen are important, in both capsules and powder.

The ideal is to use supplements with collagen at night, when the growth hormone (GH) is being released, which really helps in the process of absorption.

A good option to improve the absorption of hydrolyzed collagen is to add the supplement to juices with vitamin C: orange, pineapple, acerola, lemon, strawberry and cashew.

About papaya

The papaya has lots of minerals, vitamins A and C, calcium and potassium. Besides offering the ideal amount of lycopene – antioxidant that helps repairing damages caused to the cells by the free radicals – it contains the enzyme papain.

Because it is high in fiber, the papaya also helps your intestines to function well, including in nutrient absorption. The recommended daily amount is 3 – 5 portions of fruits.

References:

Revista Suplementação – Year 04 – Edition 14, translation and adaptation of the original version